He’s still alive in my heart!
A man of great knowledge, wisdom and personality; a man who throughout his life, from growing up in Poonch, Jammu to moving to Pakistan to the task of getting life restarted here, showed great courage and character. Nana Abu was a man of extreme intelligence. Lighting up conversations with his clever sense of humor and winning hearts and minds with his deep thought provoking lessons, Nana Abu had it all!
I remember, back in Dubai when he came to visit us , I would spend a lot of time with him. We had a fun relationship and would have inside jokes between us. One that I would never forget and which remained a big hit was relating the fact that I spent a lot of the time in toilets. He had named bathrooms ‘My Office’ and Each time I came out of one he would ask, ‘’How was work at the office today, Ammar?’’. Sometimes , I would reply, ‘’ I have left some work pending, will do it afterwards’’ and we both would have a laugh.
I was privileged to have spent a lot of my childhood with him and would never forget those fun times.
However I’m deeply saddened by the fact that I wasn’t with him in his last moments. He had said that he would only come to visit us in Islamabad if I would go and pick him up from Lahore. But unfortunately, when I finally did visit Lahore, it was for his funeral.
But God knows I love him. He knows that I respected and cared about him from the bottom of my heart. Nana Abu had given me guidance in every aspect of life and taught me things that made me a better man.
He may have passed away in reality but he will always stay alive in my heart!
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Ammar Khan is Asim’s younger brother. He is an A Levels student studying in Froebel’s International Islamabad. He is crazy about Football and is a keen Stoke City supporter. We thank him for his contribution to our blog and look forward to more pieces from him.
12 Responses to “He’s still alive in my heart!”
February 16th, 2010 saat: 4:38 pm
well written ammar. reading this brings back some memories. but you’re right, he’ll be alive in our hearts
February 16th, 2010 saat: 4:57 pm
No matter how much our hightech life isolates us, we’ll always need each other. As Steven Spielberg said and I quote, the day love dies will be the virtual end of the world.
February 16th, 2010 saat: 5:34 pm
Great one Ammar, Thanks for sharing this.
Nana Abu lived a great life and touched many hearts.
I remember my last conversation with him on the phone. He was very excited about our Kilmanjaro expedition. Being a man of knowledge he knew everything about the place and its history.
Nana Abu’s contributions to this world are countless. He used to say that he had exposure to three centuries in his life time. His father was born in the late 19th century and he learned a lot from him. He himself was born in 1919 and lived though the first decade of the 21st century.
He was young and brave at the time of India-Pakistan partition. I’ll never forget his personal experiences of the migration. When the mutiny started, almost half of my mother’s extended family was brutally murdered on their way to Pakistan from Jammu. He not only was one of the survivors but saved many lives on his way. The story of the migration of our family deserves a separate blog.
He dedicated his life for education. People of Azad Kashmir owe a lot to his services where he spent most of his career as Director Education. Azad Kashmir’s almost 100% literacy rate today would not have been possible without his vision. He literally walked to the remote villages of Azad Kashmir spreading education to every corner.
I can go on and on about his success stories. He indeed was a role model for me and will always stay alive in my heart too.
February 16th, 2010 saat: 6:09 pm
He was truly a remarkable man. He brought much joy into the lives of not only his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren, but into the lives of many others. He will be greatly missed by everyone, but like Ammar said, he will stay alive in my heart. Always.
February 16th, 2010 saat: 6:10 pm
Thanks for putting this together Ammar/Asim/Tamreez! (I forgot to add this to my previous response) :)
February 16th, 2010 saat: 7:57 pm
Very well written Ammar! Truly Nana abu will live in our hearts forever. His life sets a perfect example for all of us that we must all work not just for our personal benefits rather we all owe to our beloved country and must contribute towards its development. The sacrifices made by our ancestors must not go in vain.
February 16th, 2010 saat: 8:17 pm
A wonderful personality, always encouraged and motivated me ! Full of knowledge, stories and advices !
From the time when he travelled from Kashmir on foot till the time he posted comments and videos on his facebook profile,he lived a spledid life. The knowledge of latest things and adopting change was one of good things I learned from his life !
May Allah Bless his soul highest grades in Jannat !
February 16th, 2010 saat: 8:51 pm
Reminds me of my own nana…he was born in 1919 too
They just move to the next room
they are there with us
always
the memories shall always remain
February 17th, 2010 saat: 12:13 am
Ammar thanks so much for writing this! You’ve written a beautiful piece.
Along with all the advice and wisdom we gain from our elders, it’s the lighthearted moments that we cherish more than anything! I’m so glad you spoke of those in your post :)
February 17th, 2010 saat: 12:46 am
Beautifully put Ammar ( I remember him telling us about the bathroom too, about both you and Ahmed…hahaha)He had such great sense of humor, MashAllah! He will always live warmly in my heart. Reading and seeing things associated with dada abu brings tears to the eye. Will forever cherish all the memories. Alhamdullilah, for the time we had with him and all that we learned from him.
February 17th, 2010 saat: 2:09 am
Thanks Everyone! :)
These were just the first few lines that came to my mind when i thought about him. I’am glad my post has brought back good memories of Nana Abu for all you. May he rest in peace!
February 19th, 2010 saat: 4:59 pm
Very well written, Ammar (hero)!
Thanx for sharing good memories of dada jaan with us. I was waiting for your to post the article. It truly comes from your heart.
well Done!
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